Change-of-plea hearing set Oct. 20 in deadly platform fire

NEW ORLEANS - Criminal charges filed recently against a Houston company over a 2012 offshore oil platform fire that killed three workers appear headed for an October resolution.

Neither federal prosecutors nor defense lawyers for Black Elk Energy Operations would comment on whether plea talks are under way. But court records show that Black Elk is set for both an arraignment and a change-of-plea hearing on the morning of Oct. 20 before a federal judge.

Black Elk was charged last month in a six-count bill of information alleging violations of federal law in connection with the November 2012 fire off Louisiana's coast.

The charges allege that Black Elk failed to comply with federal safety regulations on the platform, where welding work ignited vapors, causing a series of explosions.